Here’s a story reprinted from B61Productions, a Red Hook Blog. It was written by Steve, whose last name I don’t know. "This is a story about the Red Hook Rise league," Steve wrote in an e-mail this morning. "Obviously they are  polarizing  group, but it’s hard to find fault with this program. Hope you’ll check it out. BTW, I really appreciated your story on Added Value. If only those two groups didn’t hate one another…"

Now  I’m dying to know why these groups hate one another.

COFFEY PARK–The referee’s whistle blew sharply inside the cage at
Coffey Park. "Thank you!" yelled a 10-year-old boy who felt the foul
call was long overdue on this 90-degree Saturday. It was a moment on a
hot blacktop basketball court that could easily have turned into a
bigger outburst from the player or the ref. But it didn’t.

"That’s enough!" was all the referee said. The conversation ended. The competition resumed. As time expired, one team celebrated, the other was disappointed.

To an outside observer strolling through Coffey Park on a Saturday, Books and Basketball looks like any other athletic league for 7- to 13-year-olds. And it is, except for one difference–players have to spend 20 minutes reading before or after their game, or they can’t play.

The reading requirement was a simple response to a complex problem that the organizers at Red Hook Rise tackled five years ago.

"A lot of kids were having trouble filling out the application for the basketball program," explains Director of Operations Lori Bethea. The organizers installed a "literacy first" policy and demanded that a parent or guardian accompany the children on sign-up day. Asking more from the players and parents has paid dividends.

"It’s made a big difference. The kids are more focused," says Bethea. "There’s been a tremendous amount of improvement in their behavior. They’re more respectful and encourage one another to read."

Lori’s 16-year-old son Raymond played in the league before the reading component was added and now volunteers with the organization.

"Before ‘Books’ everybody was just playing to tighten up their game and become ‘nice’– that’s what they call it," Raymond says. "There was more bickering and fighting about who’s best. But now it’s a lot more settled down, and there’s a lot more kids."

Since 2000, participation has increased from 60 to 172 kids this summer. Parental involvement has also increased. This year 17 parents volunteer every week compared to six when the new policy went into effect. Another eight community members lend their time coaching, cooking, refereeing and organizing games and reading sessions.

One of those community members is Murray Hanson, the man with the whistle. Hanson, a legend among local youth organizers, is in the best position to see the changes. But for the Red Hook native, the story goes back further than 2000.

"There were some tough times," he says of the 30 years he’s coached and ref’d in the community. "Red Hook was on the cover of Life Magazine [Crack: downfall of a neighborhood," July 1988]. Other coaches with teams didn’t want to come down here. But we got through that."

Hanson credits Red Hook Rise founders Earl and Ray Hall for helping the community weather New York City’s crack cocaine binge of the late 1980s and early 90s. "It’s still not all peaches and cream. But they have solidified a brand new perception of Red Hook. They’ve helped a lot of people rethink what’s possible in their lives. They’ve worked hard."

The hard work has gained the notice of politicians and businesses who have whole-heartedly embraced the new perception of Red Hook. When IKEA decided to pursue a store in Red Hook, they sought the Hall’s help. When Fairway opens their doors on Van Brunt Street at the end of the year, Red Hook Rise will have office space upstairs donated by developer Greg O’Connell. A recent Saturday, Julius Spiegel, Borough Commissioner of Parks addressed the kids. And Borough President Marty Markowitz will appear on the last day of the season, Aug. 13.

All the attention this election cycle is new to a grassroots organization that was born out of Red Hook’s hardship. "It’s about time," Earl says. "They all say that education is a priority. And now here’s a program that they can be a part of that challenges them to back that up."

The Halls’ commitment to the neighborhood began long before Red Hook appeared on the political and real estate landscapes.

"We lost friends to the street. We lost relatives. We were fortunate to walk away without getting incarcerated or shot or stabbed. It was a wake up call for us to give back. To get the community to come together and unify and say, ‘We don’t have to continue to let the cycle affect us,’" Earl says.

To give kids something positive to do, the Halls began recruiting players for touch football games in 1994. They concentrated their efforts on at-risk teenagers, whom they found easy to identify.

"You can always find kids just hanging out in the street. Not doing anything." Earl says. "It’s not hard to find the at-risk kids."

The growth of Red Hook Rise has coincided with several positive trends in the neighborhood. Crack cocaine’s popularity has fallen along with the area’s crime rate. Overall crime in the 76th Precinct has declined 56 percent since 1993, including an 87.5 percent drop in murder. Statistics like these tell a feel-good story that has made Red Hook a prime candidate for political photo opportunities. But the community still has real problems.

According to a report released by New School University, the median annual household income in Red Hook Houses was $10,372 in 1999. Consider that number with the fact that 25 percent of residents were between the ages of 5 and 14, and it adds up to a vulnerable population.

While the original football games concentrated on teens already on the street, Books and Basketball aims for this younger demographic. The goal is to reach kids before the street does. Judging by the rapid growth of the program, it’s clear that Red Hook Rise has found an eager audience for its message.

"This is where it began," Earl says looking out over the lot between the basketball court and Richards St. "There was nothing here but solid cement, broken glass and debris. It was just a vacant park."

To anyone who has worked with youth in South Brooklyn for the last decade or more, it looks like a much different place. But as the neighborhood undergoes dramatic change, Hanson stresses, "Don’t ever forget where you come from. Red Hook has an incredible history."

For 172 kids, that history includes learning to read in Coffey Park this summer.